The present invention concerns wall structures used with trampolines to protect trampoline users and to provide new uses for trampolines.
In the past, trampolines have been used for a variety of athletic and recreational purposes. However, injuries have sometimes resulted when a person jumping on a trampoline would land too near the boundary of the rebounding surface and strike the trampoline frame or fall from the trampoline to the ground. An article in the Mar. 3, 1998, New York Times reports that trampoline-related emergency room hospitalizations of children doubled between 1990 and 1995 (to nearly 60,000), and that the rate of injuries shows no sign of abating. Some in the medical community have called for a ban on the sale of home trampolines. While stopping short of a ban, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission has called for safety improvements to home trampolines.
One approach to reducing such injuries has been to form a wall around the perimeter of a trampoline bed so that when a jumper lands too near the edge, the wall prevents the jumper from falling off. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,261,207 and 6,053,845 illustrate a perimeter wall that forms a resilient enclosure.
While using a trampoline, there is also danger that the person may fall onto the frame or into the area between the bouncing surface and the trampoline frame. Consumer protection safety laws require trampolines to have some type of pad on the trampoline frame. Trampoline safety pads cover the trampoline frame and trampoline springs so as to satisfy these regulations and provide a safer trampoline.
Ties, cords or straps are used to attach the safety pads to the trampoline frame. A common method of attaching the pad to the frame is the use of narrow straps or cords. These straps are wrapped around the frame, pass through an opening in the pad and are then tied off or secured on the outside surface of the pad.
The means currently employed to secure safety pads to the trampoline frame have shortcomings. First, current ties have a very small amount of surface contact with the frame. Consequently, the ties are able to slip and shift quite easily along the frame. This is undesirable because the pad may interfere with the bouncing surface. Second, ties are secured to the trampoline frame itself, which does not keep them in the proper position relative to the trampoline rebounding surface, which can shift inward and expose a gap between the edge of the rebounding surface and the edge of the trampoline.
Improved trampoline safety enclosure systems and construction methods are described herein.
As described herein, a trampoline safety enclosure system has a novel protective cap. The configuration of the protective cap enables a flexible strap or line at the upper edge of the netting material to be attached directly to it so that the top surface of the protective cap is nearly even with the upper edge of the netting material. In this way, protrusion of the protective cap and potential for injury to the jumper are minimized.
A trampoline pad and a method and apparatus for attaching the trampoline pad to a trampoline frame are described, wherein a cord is attached to the pad by means of an assembly having an upper disk with a hole or plurality of holes on top of the pad and a lower disk with a hole or plurality of holes below the pad. The cord is looped through the upper disk, the pad, the lower disk, and is then attached to the ring of the bouncing surface by means of a rigid connector which forms a “T” at the end of the cord. This arrangement may be utilized for a trampoline either with or without a trampoline safety enclosure system.
Also described are a trampoline pad and a method and apparatus for attaching the trampoline pad to a trampoline frame, wherein a cord is attached to the pad by means of a two-piece assembly having an upper part on top of the pad, a lower part below the pad, and a fastener connecting the two by means of a hole or other opening in the pad. The cord is looped through the lower part and then attached to the ring of the bouncing surface by means of a rigid connector which forms a “T” at the end of the cord. This arrangement also may be utilized for a trampoline either with or without a trampoline safety enclosure system.
A trampoline pad and a method and apparatus for attaching the trampoline pad to a trampoline frame using a cord with a rigid connector which forms a “T” at one end also is described. A cord is attached to the pad by means of a two holes or an attachment point. The cord is looped around the frame of the trampoline and attached to a rigid connector. This arrangement may be utilized for a trampoline either with or without a trampoline safety enclosure system.